


The Dragonfly Effect

by Rainbowraptor



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Animal Abuse, M/M, Smoking is bad mmkay, Trigger warning addiction, TrueKrisstianity, love bug au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:41:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21659209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainbowraptor/pseuds/Rainbowraptor
Summary: Zim's attempts to help Dib may or may not cause trouble but they definitely will give Dib a foul case of nicotine withdrawal.A fanfiction inspired by Truekrisstianity's Love Bug concepts
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 123





	The Dragonfly Effect

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TrueKrisstianity](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=TrueKrisstianity).



> I started working on this little tale to support Truekrisstianity who was another person needlessly targeted by over zealous antis. Their blog had been taken off line but happily, their Tumblr has since been restored! To celebrate, I’d like to go ahead and share my story. It's inspired by their creation, the Love Bug AU and takes place in college. Again, this is my own fanwork of Truekrisstianity's art and concepts and is in no way meant to be taken as canon.
> 
> I’d also like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Love Bug AU thus far. The art and writing out there helped guide me in staying as true to True (haha, see what I did there) as possible. Forgive me if I missed something or didn’t portray Zim, Dib, and the Love Bug reality faithfully.
> 
> I really hope everyone enjoys it.
> 
> Warnings: Dib’s dirty mouth, him being a jerk, Zim an over eager pleaser, and an animal being hurt. Possible trigger warning regarding tobacco addiction.

[TrueKrisstianity's Blog](https://truekrisstianity.tumblr.com/)

* * *

Dib Membrane hunched over a bit more as he walked, cursing. It was freezing out here. Didn't Fall come after Summer? _Before_ Winter? Professor Sweet's class had been miserable but this cold wasn't exactly any better. He could always go back in, sit in the back. Those loosers wouldn't even fucking notice. Professor Sweet sure as shit wouldn't object.

"Ah, welcome back love. We were just going over how delightful and wondrous life is! Truly, it's fantastic! Class, did you know that bat flocks take care of orphan baby bats?" She'd say.

No, the class still had an hour left and hell, then it would be even colder and he'd have to put up with the other students on the way out.

Dib shifted his backpack a little, reaching into his pants pocket, at least that would be warm. He kept walking as he did so, wanting to get to the dinner hall as quickly as possible. A hot bowl of ramen would be nice. The cold was making his nose cold and a little runny already.

He glanced around, wanting to see if it was beginning to snow or someshit. He noticed that, aside from a couple of football players and some art/photography students, there wasn't really another soul walking around campus.

A perk of leaving class early.

Fuck, nope, he wouldn't turn back now. He smirked, officially making his choice.

Despite his fumbling, numb fingers, he finally managed to get one cigarette free and to his mouth.

It tasted sweet.

Literally.

And it was beginning to melt.

Dib spat the candy cigarette out and groaned.

 _Zim_.

He stopped in his tracks and searched his jean pocket a second time. This go around he checked another other pocket, the one on his ass, then the other. _There!_ It seemed his boyfriend had left behind a single slip of pink paper.

_Fuck, seriously?!? Again?!?_

He brought the paper to his face to get a better look. It smelled like lavender and was decorated with tiny well placed holographic ladybug stickers of various colors.

_Love-Bee, I have stolen your death sticks once more. This time Zim has replaced them with candy since you didn't seem to like the infant carrots. I hope you know that this is to save your life. Zim would still love and adore you if you had to loose all your hair like the woman in the movie was or even if you had to drag around a tank to breath but then you couldn't weld. Torches and oxygen don't mix and neither does tobacco and human lungs. Enjoy your classes!_

_With affection and joy,_

_Zim_

_P.S: I hope you don't get too upset at me to meet after our respective classes have concluded. I would like to eat lunch with you and feed the kitties!_

_P.S.S: Please don't be upset, Dib-bee. I love you._

_P.S.S.S: YOU TOLD ME THAT EVEN IF YOU ARE UPSET, JUST TO IGNORE IT. SO ZIM WILL TRY! I JUST WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY AND HEALTHY!_

_Love you!_

_Zim_

Dib stared for a second. He took a deep breath, let it out, watched it in the air, tasted sugar and phantom tingles of nicotine. Dib crumpled up the paper. At least, this one was much better than the last, only three PS’s. The first one had ten. Dib imagined Zim’s PAK, pumping alien lovey dovey feelings, flooding Zim with joy to counteract his worry of Dib’s fury.

And damn, was he was upset. Furious, one might say. He pulled at his hair with both hands and screamed. A passing group of students whispered and stared but he just flipped them off and started off towards the cafeteria again.

Zim still had no sense of boundaries. The alien couldn't just lift _his_ cigarettes. When Zim had switched them the first time, it had been the morning after they'd watched The Butterfly Effect, Zim had been crying and pleading with Dib to stop smoking and when Dib had refused, he found himself discovering thinly sliced carrots in his pack after breakfast.

Dib kicked a Poop can down the sidewalk, fists clenched, still holding the hostage note in one hand. Oh, he _would_ still meet up with Zim, they'd have another talk and _this_ time Dib would help Zim understand how upset it made him and fully explain that the movie had been silly and -

These thoughts persisted. He kept on towards the campus cafeteria, every once and a while looking up to glare at the increasing number of students and professors in vehicles, driving like dumbasses on the little road along the sidewalk to get to food.

The can and Dib were all the way to the back of the building where two dumpsters sat. He suddenly realized how very hungry he was as the scent of cooking pork, frying potatoes, and what could only be chocolate pudding being boiled reached his cold nose.

He kicked the Poop can one last time and hard. It flew up, and up, flying into the dumpster.

"Look at that," Dib said, "I did my part in saving this stupid, sad, sack of a planet! Oooh, I'm just like Zim, a pretty alien bug, spreading love and damn glitter fucking everywhere!"

He held the note up, ready to toss the thing to the dumpster to join it's buddy.

Two sounds stopped him.

Sound one was a voice. "Dib-Bee!" Shouted Zim.

Dib twisted around, arm still held back to hurl the ball of pink paper to the trash.

Zim stood, in his human disguise, eyes filled with joy. A bit of fake black hair sticking out from underneath Zim's gold beanie. He wore his puffy white coat, pink jeans, gold sequined riddled fluffy boots, and had his, well, Dib's, black lunch bag slung over one shoulder. It looked pretty full.

As almost always, Zim was smiling but the smile was a little weaker. "Oh, good, you found my note!"

Sound two was a loud terrified cry. One of the campus cats that called the dumpster their dining table jumped out, probably scared by the Poop can or Dib's yelling. Maybe even both. The cat lept from the trash, a grey blur dashing, quick and agile, across the back parking lot, over the sidewalk…

And into the little road where hungry students and professors were driving like dumbasses trying to get to food.

Dib grabbed Zim, pulling him close and forcing his boyfriend's face into his chest. "Don't look you idiot." He whispered into Zim's beanie, imaging his voice tickling the attenene underneath the two layers above. "Don't you dare look."

Zim struggled but Dib held on and watched, making mental notes. Not out of a sick sadism but because he wanted to know who to fuck up after if he had too.

There was the screech of tires, as the driver tried to swerve but it was in vain, the cat vanished underneath the small white sedan. It was as if the vehicle had hit the tiniest of speed bumps. The murderer kept going, apparently hitting the cat hadn't been too great for the appetite because whoever was driving went past the cafeteria.

Dib memorized the license plate. It was easy.

COFFEEQUEEN.

"Let go of Zim please Dib-Bee.," Zim pleaded and Dib obeyed. Immediately, Zim took off and ran. Even though his boyfriend was dressed like the damn Bloaty's sexy younger sister and Dib like, well, like a person who didn't expect Fall to be cancelled, Zim was much quicker. He leapt into the street and picked up the, somehow and miraculously not pancaked feline.

The cat was pretty banged up though. It's side was bleeding. Some of the cat's outsides may have become outsides, and their breaths were quick and shallow. Dib tried not to look. Before you turned his head away, he caught sight of red blood staining Zim's coat and gloves.

Dib didn't have much hope for the poor thing.

Zim's eyes were watering as he rose shakily to his feet yet he was still smiling. "Oh Dib-bee, oh Dib-bee. I need, I need to help her." It was a twitchy sort of smile.

"Come on," Dib growled, really wishing he had a cigarette right about now. "Let's get out of the road first, I don't need to see your dumbass get hit too."

He pulled Zim safely to the sidewalk and looked around. No sign of anyone. The other people in cars didn't seem to care too much. The siren call of lunch was too strong it seemed. "You want to call a vet or-"

Zim shook his head. "She won't make it. I'll have to fix her." He began to hover in the air and Dib knew that Zim had released his wings under that coat. He could hear that loud humming noise. The irkens’ pak opened, a pale silver PAK leg placed a strange mask on the cat’s face. Oxygen.

"I'll head to my nest, I’ll be able to help her there,” Zim gave a little weak laugh that made Dib feel a little sick, he could almost hear the PAK tinkling harder with all the extra happy juice, “ if I reach it in time. Will...will you meet me there?" Zim looked at Dib with pleading eyes.

"Of course I will." Dib said. "Why wouldn't I?"

Zim avoided Dibs eyes but looked down at Dib's hand. The one still holding the paper.

Dib shoved it in his pocket and shrugged. "It's not important right now. I'm not angry with you. We'll talk more later. Just fly, hurry before that stupid nasty ass garabge cat dies. I'll be right behind, ready to help however you need me too."

Zim smiled, bent low and kissed Dib on the lips. They tasted sweet, not like the candy cigarettes thank God, but like some minty lip balm. Zim’s frantic breaths fogged Dib’s glasses and it was hard to see for a second. Then, a bright blaze almost blinded Dib as Zim’s wings tore through his already ruined coat, shredding it.

The dragonfly like wings shone, glossy and clear, glowing with a dazzling yellow and pink light. The buzzing was louder now and Zim took off, arms tight but gentle around the cat, using one last bit of the coat to apply pressure.

Dib watched them ascend, then speed away, a quick, pink, white, red, and gold blur of glitter and dust.

Of course no one seemed to notice what had happened. One guy standing by the entrance of the cafeteria actually waved at him. “Hey, what’s up my man. Whatcha doing out here? They got some freaking awesome food from Burrito King today!” More people walked around Dib, students just released from class.

Most gave him lots of smiles, a few attempted high fives, a couple asked if he'd join them. One woman slipped him her phone number written on a post it note.

Dib rolled his eyes. More fans of his dad no doubt. Pretending to like him when they really just wanted to meet famous edgy Professor Membrane. It was a ton less than what he’d suffered earlier in his education career, but it still never failed to come up on a daily basis.

Well, too bad for them. He had no intention of ever going back to Professor Membrane's nightmare of a house again now that he and Gaz were finally out of his grasp.

“Hey,” asked a student, around Dib's age. She kept glancing back and forth to a group of her friends who were all trying to pretend not to look. It irritated the shit out of Dib.

He didn’t fucking care. All his fucks had just flown away with a bleeding cat. A cat he technically kinda got hit by a car if he thought too hard, which, lucky for him, he didn't do.

Dib opened his mouth to say as much, to tell this girl and her friends to fuck off. Zim and GIR would be all alone with the dying cat. Dib wanted to be with his weird, invasive, pain in the ass, and not 'evil at all alien boyfriend'. He needed to make sure Zim's PAK didn't overdose with dopamine him when the cat inevitably kicked the bucket.

But the wind changed direction and though Dib winced at the freezing breeze, he discovered something potentially fantastic. The chick smelled of way too much perfume which was not important, what was important was the fact that the overpowering stink of roses was obviously being used to cover up the smell of smoke.

Cigarette.

He looked at the woman closer now, she was pretty in a way only blondes could be but Dib didn't much care about that. He saw her fingernails painted black and wondered if they were really yellow underneath.

She pulled out a cigarette and held it up. A Parliament. Dib felt a little woozy at the sight.

"You gotta light? My lighter broke or something and I could really use a smoke right now."

The girl had a crush on Dib, he was familiar with her body language and the way her friends were acting enough to know. She kept shuffling her feet, fluttering her eyes at him and, yeah, he now recognized her from his philosophy class. Actually, the one he'd just skipped. Amanda? Brittney? Who the hell knew. She had once asked him to a cup of coffee.

Like most of his fans, she knew about Zim but really didn't seem to care all that much.

What he really wanted was that cigarette.

Just one.

He opened his mouth to say, "Yeah, sure but only if etc, etc." But as he opened his mouth, to speak and to lick his dry lips, he tasted honey and thought of pink, gold dragonfly wings.

He was tempted. Of course he was. Give this girl his whole damn lighter and ask for a cigarette or two, he had time for a drag didn't he? Dib couldn't imagine dealing with whatever was happening at Zim's base without some nicotine.

But then...

Alien eyes looking up at him with a pained, forced smile. Dib thought of the glint of a single metal attenene.

"Fucking fucker can of Poop." He hissed.

Dib took off running towards Zim's place.

After what seemed like an hour but was in fact only five minutes, Dib began to feel as if he was going to cough up a lung. He was getting close to Zim's base/home but still had enough time left to curse his father.

Membrane hadn't allowed Gaz or Dib to even leave the house to start working, instead, demanding that they help him in his weird tests and experiments. And he _definitely_ didn't them give any money

Which is why, when Gir, disguised as a pink cat opened Zim's door, he found Dib bent over, saying, "Old fucker, old fucker. Car, need a car." several times between hacking.

GIR pulled Dib in and closing the door. "Those boots aren't made for running." He observed before he went back to cleaning.

The little robot was dabbing a dark stain on the plush, blue carpet. "Master Zim is upstairs with the _real_ cat ." At 'real', GIR's ears laid back but just for a second. Then they went back up and happy. "It got blood on the floor so I'm trying to get it out. Earth life is so messy." GIR said in his calm voice.

"It was very difficult to get it off the armchair." Came a cheerful and perky whisper. Zim's computer. A robotic arm, slim and light pink slid out of a wall to drop more rags next to GIR. "But we managed. It seems that vinegar works wonders."

He'd been getting into a foul mood the entire sprint here. Dwelling on his father tended to do that and nicotine withdrawal hadn't helped matters. Yet, thankfully, aside for the blood and the scent that made him think of pickles, being in Zim's house calmed him. There was the clear class table in the center of the living room he'd, reluctantly, helped Zim find, the white walls, and the gold flecked marble of the kitchenette counters.

Zim really liked to decorate and arrange flowers. There was a new fresh bouquet in every room, even in the bathroom. He saw the pink and white roses as he walked by, right on the sink. Dib caught a glance of soft blue walls, a pastel painting of a butterfly over the toilet sink. A new addition.

Dib stopped at the very end of the short hallway and took a deep breath. Before him stood a pale cream door with a single gold door knob.

"He's going to need you." Whispered the computer softly as it scanned Dib's hand.

Dib said nothing as the room opened, he stepped in, the door closing behind. Looking down at the "closet's" carpet, he saw a thick coating of dark blood.

His stomach flopped.

"There's too much." Says Computer. "Not even vinegar and cold water worked. We'll have to replace it."

Dib really wanted a smoke.

The floor jolted and the elevator brought Dib up, up into his boyfriend's secret nest.

Dib had also been here but it didn't fill him with any positive feelings. In fact, all the shiny, crystalline, fluffy, sparkly, rainbow drenched stuff in Zim's work nest filled him with unease and anxiety. It was too airy, fairy, and happy for him. There was even a weird garden area off to the side with odd mounds of pale glowing moss. Dib guessed that was too sleep on. If Irkens needed to sleep.

Also, just looking outside and being able to see the whole neighborhood and campus below through each huge glass window was kinda cool but knowing that the tower was cloaked and all it took was one low flying airplane to send the whole thing crashing down wasn't.

And then he saw Zim.

The worry and disturbed feeling got worse.

Zim stood, back to Dib, now undisguised. The alien was fiddling with something on a pale green, glass pedestal in front of him. He would twist, turn, take things out of his PAK but he’d never turn to look back to show he was aware of Dib’s presence.

Finally, Zim stopped moving and Dib felt sure enough to approach. He didn't speak, just walked to stand next to his boyfriend, sides brushing against one another. Dib glanced down.

The cat looked much better, fur clean of blood and years of living in a dumpster. She was even purring a little in her sleep. Dib heard soft beeps of life support and knew the silver tabby was in a sort of induced coma. Zim had stitched her damaged side up and looked like he may have given her a skin graft from…

Oh, of course he did.

"Really?" Dib asked. "What did you do?”

Zim finally turned to face Dib, at least the smile he gave was genuine on a level, but Dib could see Zim holding his shoulder, see how Zim’s eyes twitched. He caught a quick grimace in Zim’s face as his dark black alien blood stained the white cloth he held in place there. “Don’t worry my Dib, I modified my donations so they would be compatible, the blood and skin took, she’ll make a full recovery.”

Skin AND blood?

“You gave this stupid cat some of your skin? Are you freaking kidding me?” Dib wanted to punch something but was afraid of damaging an important piece of technology. He didn’t want to threaten the cat’s survival. Again. “Why are you so...so god damn…”

But his words trailed away as he looked at Zim, those big pink eyes. So filled with happiness and love. Dib sighed and grabbed a stack of cloth from the green pedestal. “We need to stitch you up now. Can’t have you bleeding everywhere, damn, you won’t have a carpet at this rate.”

Zim frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“Nevermind. What are you going to do about the cat? I think these dipshits might even notice a partly green furball around here. Could be a problem.” Dib huffed. It already was a problem.

“I’ll have to keep her, of course” Zim said.

“GIR won’t like that. I got the feeling he was kinda jealous.” Dib began to tape up the wound. When he was finished he cleaned all the blood off and made sure the bandage was on for awhile. He cleansed his hands in what looked like a sparkling crystal bird bath and tossed the leftover dirty cloths into the recycler. “You know, he seemed upset, underneath all that calm contentment.”

Zim bit his lip. “Well, I can’t very well let her out, her very presence is a risk to my mission to help people. If she were found out, and…”

Dib pulled Zim close into his arms and whispered into Zim’s metal antenna, “Don’t worry yourself about it. I’ll…” Zim was always giving, giving, and giving, even when he was taking harmful stuff away. Dib could, start to give back. “I’ll take the furball.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s the least I can-”

“Dib-bee!” Zim shouted and hugged Dib surprisingly tight for something so slim and a head and a half shorter than Dib. “You will? That’s, that’s wonderful! But wait, does your dorm allow pets?”

“They do now.” Dib assured.

“Are you sure. A pet is a lot to handle. A big responsibility. She’ll need a litter box, food, and playtime.” Zim had that lecturey tone in his voice, the one that just oozed down from a high horse. It made Dib think of an alien nun.

It really was so hard to think that Zim actually and genuinely cared so much, even after all these years of being together.

Dib frowned. “Shut up.” He leaned down and kissed Zim, hard and with tongue. Dib pulled back, smirking at Zim’s wide eyes and hanging open mouth. It had worked.

“I’m sure. I think I…” He stopped, nope, not going to say that. He didn’t owe this goddamn cat a damn thing. It was a stupid furball but…nope. "can handle it."

“I suppose,” Zim placed one gloved finger on his chin. Dib resisted the urge to kiss him again, but just barely, “that because she’ll be living with you. It’s important that you give her a name.” He smiled and bounced on his toes before flitting a little in the air, dragonfly wings glowing and glittering. “What will you name her?”

“Trash.” Dib said

Zim gave a weak smile. “That’s, that’s a fine name Dib-bee I-”

Dib interrupted Zim before he could start with that scary, forced laughing. “I’m kidding! I’m not going to fucking name the damn thing Trash.” He frowned, looking at the sleeping grey, silvery cat, and thought. What was a good name for this…

“Smoke.” He said. Dib pulled out the cigarette box filled with candy sticks and handed it to Zim. “Between that weird green fur on her, the name, and the fact that I nearly killed her because I was so fucking hankering for some nicotine…”

He stopped immediately as he saw Zim panicking a little. The PAK on Zim’s back was flashing.

“Oh, no, no. I’m so sorry, Dib-bee, I just can’t stand the thought of losing you and Keanu Reeves had to sell his soul to keep living and I don’t want you to have to use a machine to talk through a hole in your wonderful, beautiful throat, and-”

“No, no. You’re right.” Dib interjected, rubbing Zim’s back. When had Zim watched Constantine? “I need to stop. I just wished you’d talked to me before, ya know, taking my stuff.” Dib huffed. “Also, you can’t just quit smoking. I mean, some people can. I’m not one of them. To much anxiety and memories I need to cope somehow with. Is there a way we can, I don’t know, make some sort of thing that helps me quit? Better than the shit gum and patches they make now? I’m NOT about to start fucking vaping.”

Dib wasn’t sure Zim was really listening to his words. The alien was just staring at him, that smile growing bigger and bigger, his wings glowing and glittering more and more.

“OF COURSE WE CAN DIB-BEE!” Zim tackled Dib to the ground. At least it was all the way to the soft part of the nest and not one of the areas with crystalline floors. Zim kissed Dib all over and, eventually, Dib began to kiss back, enjoying the warmth of the plush, soft, opaline moss of whatever the hell they were laying on. Large flowers of some kind and numerous colors were around them, giving off a sweet, pleasant scent and Dib found that, actually, this was really nice and calming.

After Dib and Zim finished ‘making up’. Dib was happy to lay there, hot and spent, holding his love obsessed, insane to please, weird ass alien boyfriend while he told him all the things cats needed to be happy, all the things Dib and Zim would do with Dib’s new longer smoking free lifespan.

“I’m going to get a car.” Dib said.

“We can make you one!” Zim chirped.

And, shocking himself, Dib laughed. “Of course we can!” And they both laughed, warm, snug, as two bugs in a rug.

**Author's Note:**

> I have so many things to say about my story and how I came to the conclusions I did for certain characterizations and details. In the Love Bug AU, everyone is pretty much the opposite of how they are in the series. So, GIR, for example, is sane, collected, and mature for his age. 
> 
> Further, Zim's lab is not a cold, dark, dank, claustrophobic mass of wires and screens, buried deep under his base. Actually, here, it's hardly a lab at all. Instead, it's high above, open, filled with light, 'airy fairy' as Dib puts it. Zim's home actually could be mistaken for the home of a human being. No toilet in the kitchen and has many more features that, if Zim wished, he could share with others to bring joy.
> 
> Again, I hope that you have all enjoyed this work. Also, stressing once more that this story isn't to be considered canon to Truekrisstianity's Love Bug AU creation in anyway. I took her ideas for a spin, that is all. I may write a short sequel, Dib confronting the COFFEEQUEEN.
> 
> Finally, I meant this as a gift to their amazing work and to celebrate ZaDr in general. 
> 
> Fandom is a place to express, heal, explore, and improve oneself. Never forget that.
> 
> Thank you, 
> 
> And hey,
> 
> You are fantastic, brilliant, and deserve love!


End file.
